Close Up With Xbox One: Every Photo You Could Ever Want

When Senior Principal Creative Director Carl Ledbetter and his team set out to design the Xbox One, the only rule they had is everything had to be drawn without lifting a pen. "If you can't," he says, "it's too complicated." What they wound up with is a console and Kinect sensor far more rectilinear than the Xbox 360. That allowed them to fully engage the design language of the Xbox's UI, which in turn stemmed from Windows 8 and its 16:9 tiling. The controller is less of a departure, though its sleeker form factor hides a number of tweaks to address the concerns of 360 gamers.

A new videogame console is always an event, but to get so much access before it's seen by the rest of the world is far rarer. As part of WIRED's exclusive look at the development and capabilities of the Xbox One, we present a detailed look at the hardware. (Well, the exterior of it, at least. We've got another gallery for the insides.) Can you spot all the changes?

The new controller has a laundry list of incremental improvements, from a more precise cross-shaped D-pad to knurled thumbstick rims for better grip.

A new connector for voice chat and other accessories can power a 5.1 headset without amplifiers.

The ABXY buttons are slightly lower and spaced more tightly, with the Menu and View buttons (no more Start and Select) moved out of the way to avoid accidental presses.

The controller still takes AA batteries, but the humplike compartment is gone. So are the screwholes.

New "impulse triggers" feature haptic feedback, and the shoulder buttons are nearly continuous for easier transition from trigger to bumper.

The new Kinect sensor: like a tiny robot winking at you. We told Microsoft they should use that as a slogan; we're still waiting to hear back on that.

The side panels of the Kinect echo the venting panel on top of the Xbox One console, and the multi-mic array is separated from the main body, making the sensor appear to levitate.

Top view of the Kinect sensor. Yup, more venting references. Note the branding: just XBOX, no model name.